Thursday, September 30, 2010

Back to the pemi wilderness!

My twin brother, Jonathan, visited NH for a week. He flew overnight from Seattle, and the next night we decided to head out to the White Mountains, specifically an area we have been bushwhacking and back-country camping each spring and fall for the last several years- the pemigewasset wilderness of the White Mountain National Forest in NH. It is a magnificent area.Me, Jonathan, and our best friend, Paul arrived at the trail head at 10:30pm Friday. It was a bit of a late start, but we really wanted to spend two nights, since one night always feels too short. We hiked in a little bit and back country camped off the trail. The next morning we bushwhacked to a beautiful spot we found last year, set up camp, explored the nearby rivers and relaxed.

We brought Jake, a tough and adventurous little dog. The first night was nearly a full moon with very little cloud cover, so we slept in the open. But it was so bright it made it hard to fall asleep.

Jonathan, Paul, and Jake exploring one of the branch rivers, during our bushwhack on the second day.

Swimming in the chilly water! Paul took a few photos of me and Jonathan going in the chilly river. A few days before October!Jonathan striking a pose with the hiking stick he whittled when he was 1o or 11.

I don't think it is very common for little terriers like Jake to like to swim, but he loves it, and he did really well swimming in a river for the first time. I wasn't sure how he would do camping out, but he was great, I wish we had brought him with us years ago.

On Sunday, the walk back on the Lincoln Woods trail. It was cloudy, but the leaves seemed to become more vibrant by the minute. We picked a great time to visit the Whites, close to peak foliage.

Jonathan showing Paul the chaga fungus, a parasitic fungi that grows on live birch trees. Great as a tinder. The fungi's cancer-fighting properties are also being researched.

Group shot by the fire on the second night. The fall is my favorite time of year to camp and explore the white mountains. Nice chilly nights, great for sleeping and a nice fire, there is no need for mosquito netting at night, it is fantastic.

On the way back we stopped in at The Mountain Wanderer, a map and book store in Lincoln run by Steve Smith. If you want to know something about the white mountains, and he doesn't know it, odds are no one does. He's knows the woods of the whites, on and off trail, like no other. Check out his explorations on his blog here- Mountain Wandering.

I was fortunate to be able to take a couple days off and get up to NH to visit with my twin brother and Paul. Thanks for a great time guys!